The Legal Aid Society today released a list of active New York City Police Department (NYPD) members with the highest lawsuit payouts and who were defendants in the most suits alleging police misconduct from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2023.

The top ten worst cops combined for payouts of over $64 million. During this time period, Officer Pedro Rodriguez was the worst offender, racking up over $12 million in payouts by himself. Sergeant David Grieco leads the list of named plaintiffs, appearing in 48 misconduct suits over the same time period.

“Together, these NYPD members of service have garnered hundreds of lawsuits raising alarming allegations of misconduct and costing taxpayers staggering amounts of money. Yet many of these officers are still allowed to wear a badge and carry a gun,” said Jennvine Wong, an attorney with the Cop Accountability Project at Legal Aid.

“Despite these allegations, many have attained ranks of sergeant or above,” she continued. “So long as NYPD leadership continues to allow problematic officers to rise through the ranks and refuses to address the Department’s culture of impunity, our clients – the majority of whom are from Black and Latinx communities – will continue to shoulder the consequences and the general public’s trust of the NYPD will remain fractured.”

Since 2018, misconduct lawsuits have cost taxpayers $548,047,141, and the total payouts for police misconduct are likely substantially higher because these data do not account for matters that were settled prior to formal litigation.